


Dearly Beloved

by RobinWritesChirps



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Awkward Crush, Bisexual Character, Confusion, F/F, Gen, Platonic Female/Female Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27670469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinWritesChirps/pseuds/RobinWritesChirps
Summary: The rest of the party had retired for the night, but Zelda was not tired yet. It seemed to her that she never grew weary of Urbosa’s company. Though they had spent hours out here on her balcony making pleasant conversation, she could have suffered to spend a thousand nights here listening to her tales of every great deed of strength that seemed to pepper her past. Zelda was entranced.How Princess Zelda is a lonely confused bisexual who needs to be reminded of her reality. Not all crushes are meant to be reciprocated.
Relationships: Urbosa & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 16





	Dearly Beloved

In the low evening sun of the desert, Lady Urbosa’s hair shone like the most precious sparkling rubies the princess had ever beheld. Outside the door, the young sworn knight stood guard before the lady’s quarters, stoic as ever, humming to himself. The rest of the party had retired for the night, but Zelda was not tired yet. It seemed to her that she never grew weary of Urbosa’s company. Though they had spent hours out here on her balcony making pleasant conversation, she could have suffered to spend a thousand nights here listening to her tales of every great deed of strength that seemed to pepper her past. Zelda was entranced.

"You’ve ridden a sand seal before, I trust?" Lady Urbosa asked as though in jest.

For a moment, Princess Zelda did not reply. She was utterly fascinated by the sharp point of Urbosa’s nose, the proud brow over those bright green eyes, the broad shoulders that hid nothing of her power. Urbosa had noted the girl’s growing admiration for her, ever more obvious with every day she spent here in Gerudo. She knew not what to make of it, however neither did the princess, it seemed, and so she had let it linger unmentioned between them. Children played all sorts of silly games in their own minds, she knew. No matter the heavy duty Zelda was pledged to, she was but a young girl whose heart was stepping over her good smarts just like any other child her age. Urbosa might have longed for such innocent days past if she were someone else.

"I… Yes, yes I have, my lady. You’ve taught me before. You’ve always been a great teacher."

"But have you ever mounted a Molduga? They’re quite a bit more fierce."

The princess gasped with horror.

"Never! I never knew such a feat was possible. Have you… ?"

Urbosa smiled. She did love to impress the girl, that was true. So hidden away in her palace at her studies, Zelda had only now started to see for herself the object of everything she had learned. There was much that she knew, but not yet nearly as much that she had experienced. Urbosa stretched a leg in front of her and pushed up the embroidered edge of her sirwal over her knee. Zelda let out a small cry she muffled behind a hand.

"Is this…"

"That’s from the first time I tamed one and rode it across the desert all the way to the mountains. All the other times, the scars were on the whale, not on me, little bird."

With a hesitant finger, Zelda traced the pale faded lines, a lighter shade of brown against the dark skin of Urbosa’s knee. They made up the shape of lightning, soft under the touch but a memory of violence nonetheless. She realized the caress might have been too intimate and pulled away timidly, but Urbosa only chuckled and pulled her leg back underneath her bottom.

"I don’t know that I’d ever be capable of this," Zelda said wistfully. "Though I’d love for you to teach me."

"And perhaps I shall," Urbosa said, smirking in anticipation at the amusing thought of the princess struggling to climb upon such a dreadful beast. "It’s nothing short of exhilarating."

"Oh, Urbosa," Zelda sighed amorously. "There’s nobody as fierce as you…"

She seemed to lose herself in a fit of adoration. Something about Urbosa’s bravery, about her boldness was utmost enticing and Zelda leaned forward taken by inspiration. It was exceedingly short-lived, as her lady friend rebuked the attempt at a kiss before she could even come close. Two fingers at her lips, Urbosa kept her at an arm’s distance, pushing her away with all the terrible gentleness Zelda had ever known. Even in her rejection, she was the most handsome woman she knew and Zelda’s heart beat with desire and shame. Urbosa slowly lowered her arm, shaking her head in kind disapproval.

"Little bird…" She touched Zelda’s cheek softly and Zelda sighed with contentment. "You’re such a lonely child. Your burden is great and you’re shouldering it on your own. You’re seeking the love of a mother and confusing it with that of a lover."

The princess did not like to be told the error of her ways and she put on a pout that sent Urbosa into easy laughter, throwing her head back heartily.

"I speak bluntly, but I speak true," she said. "I’ll consider this good flattery, but better forget about it and blame the wine."

Zelda could not have been more crimson if she’d stained her cheeks with the wine, redder still than Urbosa’s thick long hair. She was torn between despair and fury and both showed equally on her lovely little face.

"So you do not… want me?"

Urbosa smiled quietly. Zelda knew that the lady had great fondness for her, even in such moments as breaking her heart. For the present, it pulsed in her chest ready to be plucked.

"I _want_ you free and happy and roaming Hyrule to your heart’s content," Urbosa replied. "I want you well married if you please or unbound if that is your desire. I want you to save the world that you may better enjoy it."

She took a sip of wine, dark and burgundy in an ornate cup of gold. It clang dully against the dust of the sandstone flooring of her balcony when she put it down. Zelda thought she might burst into tears, but it would not be proper. She had always been such a proper little thing.

"But no, dear princess, I do not want you. And I don’t imagine you want me either."

This had touched a sensitive string and she saw at once that Zelda was more wroth than she tried to show.

"How could you possibly know what I want better than I know myself? Do you think only the Gerudo can enjoy the company of other women?"

Lady Urbosa shook her head. She uncrossed her legs from under her, crossed them the other side, and caught Zelda’s slight glance downwards despite herself. The princess scooted back and sat up stiffly, frowning.

"You’re sixteen years old. That’s yet younger than your darling mother was when she came to cross my life’s path. Trust me, dear, when I say I know that Hylian women burn as bright as any for one another."

Zelda needed no time to guess the meaning behind such words, as she had always suspected such a thing from the fondness of her mother’s words about her dear friend from Gerudo. She thought she would never survive the shame of having to be told so plainly, though.

"I met you when you were but a bawling babe nursing in her arms. You’ve grown and matured since then, I don’t deny it, and I believe you’ll be a woman soon, sure of yourself and of your destiny. And still, when I take a look at your face, little bird, all I see is the nursing babe." She sighed. "In another life, I might have known you all the years in between, but then…"

Zelda’s anger left her at once, leaving only room for grief. She had thought the same thing a thousand times, all the different roads her life might have taken if not for the prophecies. To be raised by the women of Gerudo, that wouldn’t have been such a terrible life, would it? Her mother had only ever sung their praise.

"If only you’d borne another name, sweetling," Urbosa whispered and touched a tendril of Zelda’s soft long hair, as gold as rich wheat in the swing of summer. "Then you would have all the time in the world to lose yourself in that little heart of yours with whomever you want. Anyone of your own age, that is."

"There’s nobody," Zelda retorted. "Urbosa, you’re the only…"

"But I’m not. Princess, stop this foolishness at once."

Urbosa’s patience was plenty and ever flowing, but so was her resolve and in this moment, the latter won over the former. She thought herself understanding, but she knew she could be rigid when she had the truth of something, when she knew better than others their best interest. Zelda had often admired this about her, but she was realizing now that she had never been on the other side of such arguments. She was not used to being chided so, except by her father the king and this perhaps more than anything Urbosa said sobered her from the infatuation quicker than she had expected.

"You’re a lovely child. I’m sure there’s many young ladies who should be very lucky to receive your affection. Impa, perhaps, or any other. Maybe even that knight of yours, if you’re so inclined. It matters little to me, though I’ll always welcome you with opened arms should you introduce me to any lover of yours when all of this is over. At the moment, I want no part of it."

She drank the last sip of wine from her glass and stood to her feet, snapping her fingers.

"Link!" She called out.

Always one step away from intervention, the young lad burst through the door in high alert. He seemed never to find peace so long as the princess was close, for he was always in a fit of worry over her safety. Urbosa smiled at him kindly. She was fond of the boy, who showed great prowess with a blade, and greater yet with the resolve of his heart.

"Will you please show my darling guest to her quarters? I believe it’s been a long night."

He nodded obediently and looked at Princess Zelda, waiting for her to come with. Zelda did not want to linger here for a moment more, she realized, for the shame burned through her brighter than a furnace. She muttered words of goodbyes to Lady Urbosa on her way out.

"But please, little bird," Urbosa stopped her, seizing her soft wrist in her calloused fingers. She looked into her eyes and smiled. "Never doubt how much I adore you."

She kissed the top of her head and sent her on her way. It took a fortnight for Zelda to swallow the humiliation of that evening, but when she did, the crush became an item of teasing between her and Lady Urbosa. There were some bonds, she supposed, that were never meant to step into romance. And perhaps they were all the stronger for it.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment! Even short, I don’t mind!


End file.
